Judge dismisses Goldwater Institute’s Clean Elections lawsuit

An Arizona judge is dismissing a lawsuit accusing a state agency of illegally spending public money to promote the state’s public campaign finance system.

The ruling by Judge Mark Brain of Maricopa County Superior Court dismisses a 2011 lawsuit filed by the Goldwater Institute against the Citizens Clean Elections Commission.

The lawsuit alleged that the commission’s authority under state law to educate voters about the public campaign funding system for state election candidates doesn’t include spending for self-promotion.

Brain’s ruling says the commission acknowledges it cannot take sides regarding a possible ballot measure to eliminate public campaign funding.

But he says other activities by the commission are permitted by the First Amendment or fall under its legal authority to encourage citizen participation in the electoral process.

2 comments

The state should sue the unregistered (and therefore illegal) lobbyists at Goldwater for filing frivolous lawsuits that are costing Arizona taxpayers big money to defend. Clint Bolick and Darcy Olson should be sued personally as well and forced to register as lobbyists by Ken Bennett, the Secretary fo State who has not yet done his job.

Yeah Thomas! Go get em! We need to shut those people up. We can’t have anyone hearing what they have to say. They have no right challenge the government or any laws. That’s what judges are for. Only you Thomas and maybe some judges should decide what right and wrong not people like Goldwater. It’s people like those Goldwater jerks that make it so hard to make any progress. If they weren’t around think of all the stuff we or anyone for that matter could get done. They shouldn’t even be allow within 1000 yards of the capitol. They should be disbarred too. People that hold their wacked out opinions have no right to practice law.

We need to leave all the law making to the professionals at the capitol and the all the heroes that take take that precious hour away from the game on TV to check that box on the ballot. Stupid Goldwater losers thinking they can petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Where do they think they get the right?